This invention relates to the electrical connector art, and more particularly to a new and improved electrical connector for use in accommodating different voltage and phase situations in supplying power to machines.
One area of use of the present invention is in supplying electrical power to machines which are manipulated by industrial personnel, although the principles of the present invention can be variously applied. An example of the foregoing is motor driven machines for cutting or punching cloth or like material which are moved manually by an operator over and along a workpiece being cut or punched according to a desired pattern or configuration. Such electrically operated machines have various operating requirements including different voltage magnitudes and/or phase magnitudes depending upon the particular machine and also the environment where it is used. Thus, different machines may require different voltage and phase magnitudes, but the same machine may require different voltage and phase magnitudes in different countries.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide an electrical connector as a member of a series or family of electrical connectors to accommodate such number of voltage magnitude and/or phase situations for operating such machinery but wherein among the family or series of connectors any given connector part will mate or fit with only one other connector part. In other words, it is required that a part of a connector designed for a particular voltage and/or phase may not be physically or mechanically connected to a part of another connector designed for a different voltage and/or phase. The foregoing must be provided in a connector structure which is safe and satisfies appropriate electrical codes, and it would be advantageous to provide the foregoing in a structure which is convenient and economical to manufacture.